Notice: The documentation for the current Specification Cycle is posted at the Design Documentation page.

The previous specification cycle's January 2005 NFIRS 5.0 Design Documentation is made available for reference only.

NOTE: To download and save the document to the PC:
Click on the link for the desired document. A Download File Notice will be displayed. In the Download File Notice box, right click on the Download Now hyperlink and select "Save Target as," and specify a location on the PC.

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NFIRS 5.0 Design Documentation (1.96 MBytes)

This document was posted on 01/07/2005.

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Specification Changes and Corrections (121 KBytes)
This table contains a log of changes and updates to the Final Design Specification. The log is based on comments received by USFA between the period of January 1999 to January 2005. All errors, corrections or updates listed have been incorporated into the release of the NFIRS 5.0 Design Documentation, dated January 2005.

This document was posted on 1/07/2005.

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Spreadsheet Tables (84 KBytes)
It is VERY important that developers who have begun designing systems using previous specification releases download and review this file.

This file contains five spreadsheet tables in Microsoft EXCEL 97 Workbook format which may be useful to software developers. The tables are data dictionary (codes and descriptors), chemical database, system edits, system relational edits, and transaction file record layouts, and Federal Agency codes.

This document was posted on 10/27/2004.

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NFIRS 4.1 to 5.0 Conversion Tables (55 KBytes)
This file contains four spreadsheet tables in Microsoft Excel 97 which includes the conversion rules for the Basic, Fire, Structure, Civilian Casualty, Firefighter Casualty and Hazard Materials Modules.

This document was posted on 09/20/2004.

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NFIRS 5.0 Paper Forms (328 KBytes)
This file includes the following forms: Basic, Fire, Structure Fire, Civilian Fire Casualty, Fire Service Casualty, EMS, Hazmat, Wildland Fire, Apparatus or Resources, Personnel, Arson, and Supplemental.

This document was posted on 01/07/2005.

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Cause Category Methodology Matrix (26 KBytes)

The USFA fire cause methodology consists of using a set of hierarchical sorting rules based primarily on the Ignition Cause and Factors, Equipment Involved in Ignition, and Heat Source (plus Exposure Number) to create a hierarchical sorting of all fires into 35 priority (hierarchical) cause codes. These priority cause codes are then regrouped into 12 major cause categories plus a residual unknown-cause group. This framework has proved enormously useful to analysts over the years and is continued under NFIRS version 5.0.

Note: As was the cause in previous versions, these cause category groupings are intended for use with structure fires only. They will not accurately portray causes for Outside or Vehicle fires and they were not designed for that purpose.

No changes have been made to the fire cause methodology for the January 2005 cycle.

This document was posted on 12/23/2003.

The complete Design Documentation for the current Specification Cycle year is available on the Design Documentation page.

Comments on the final specification may be addressed to FEMA-nfirshelp@dhs.gov